Darley announces next year’s stallion fees, with Naval Crown and Perfect Power added to the roster, as Dubawi hits career-high fee
GB: No sooner had a major increase in Frankel’s nomination fee for 2023 been announced by Juddmonte than Darley revealed that world #1 Dubawi will next year stand at a career-high £350,000 – an increase of £100,000 on his 2022 nomination fee.
Darley’s flagship sire, who stands at Dalham Hall in Newmarket, was already the world’s most expensive sire in 2022; the new price represents a hike of 40%.
Frankel’s fee for 2023 is going up by 37.5% to £275,000 at Banstead Manor; the exalted pair are likely to be the two most costly stallions on the planet.
A son of the great Dubai Millennium, 20-year-old Dubawi’s fee for his seventh season is raised after another outstanding year for his offspring on the track.
Three Classic winners (Coroebus, Modern Games and Eldar Eldarov) headed a personal-best tally of 43 black-type winners for Dubawi, who has sired seven G1 winners this year over distances ranging from the six furlongs of the Platinum Jubilee Stakes to the St Leger trip of 1m6f.
Modern Games struck again at the Breeders’ Cup, where Turf winner Rebel’s Romance became Dubawi’s fifth winner in the last two seasons at North America’s championship meeting.
“There's no bigger name in the business than champion sire Dubawi,” said Darley director of stallions Sam Bullard. “He's set even higher standards for himself in 2022, and it's only right his new fee should reflect this.. He's set even higher standards for himself in 2022, and it's only right his new fee should reflect this.”
With a 22% strike-rate led by top sprinter Highfield Princess, Dubawi’s son Night Of Thunder is performing even better than Dubawi at the same stage of his career.
He will stand at Kildangan at a fee of €100,000, where he will be joined by Dubawi’s Royal Ascot-winning son Naval Crown. Added to the Darley roster Kildangan Stud, Naval Crown will stand at a fee of €15,000.
Also new at Dalham Hall is three-time G1 winner Perfect Power, who will stand for £15,000. Young stallions Blue Point and Too Darn Hot have had their fees trimmed to €35,000 and £40,000 respectively.
“It's great news we have Dubawi's Platinum Jubilee winner Naval Crown joining the team in Ireland,” added Bullard. “With Perfect Power at Dalham Hall Stud we're proud to have two tremendous commercial prospects for breeders to get stuck into.
“Looking down the list, we've tried to be as competitive with our prices as we can, knowing how hard it is for breeders in today’s challenging economic conditions.”
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